MANILA, Philippines – Smartphones are expected to account for the majority of global cellphone shipments in 2013, two years earlier than predicted.
According to research firm IHS, smartphones will become the dominant mobile devices in terms of unit shipments.
Smartphone shipments in 2013 are forecast to account for 54 percent of the total cellphone market, up from 46 percent in 2012 and 35 percent in 2011, according to an IHS market tracker report.
The year 2013 will mark the first time that smartphones will make up more than half of all cellphone shipments.
Wayne Lam, senior analyst for wireless communications at IHS, says the revised outlook is a major upgrade to IHS’ forecast that smartphones would account for over 50 percent of sales by 2015.
He explains declining smartphone prices in the past year and growth in the variety of models available have spurred “sales of both low-end smartphones in regions like the Asia-Pacific, as well as mid-range to high-end phones in the United States and Europe.”
The firm forecasts that double-digit growth in smartphone shipments will continue, driving the form factor’s share of overall sales to 67.4 percent by 2016.
In the Philippines, the increasing affordability of smartphones has been propelling the strong growth of the sector, rendering the country as one of the fastest growing smartphone markets in the Southeast Asian region, according to market research firm GfK Philippines.
The GfK report revealed that consumers bought five times as many smartphones in the first five months of this year compared to a year ago, bringing smartphone sales to almost 1.7 million units as of May.
Keeping at pace with the uptake in smartphone demand in the country, Globe Telecom provides the widest selection of smartphone devices under its roster of postpaid plans, offering the latest Android devices such as the Cloudfone Ice for free for as low as Plan 299.
Launched in the second quarter this year were the latest and sophisticated smartphone devices from the world’s leading manufacturers such as the Globe-exclusive Nokia Lumia 800, BlackBerry Curve 9220, and BlackBerry Curve 9320, and the Samsung Galaxy S III, all bundled with consumable amounts for calls and texts, unlimited surfing for Plans 999 and above, freebies that are changeable monthly, and the Globe Guarantee of no billshock, device warranty, and 24/7 access to the telco’s expanded customer service channels.
“With our pioneering postpaid service My Super Plan, our subscribers are empowered to choose the smartphones that best suit their lifestyles and get them either for free or at a minimum cash-out,” said Martha Sazon, head of Globe Postpaid.
“Subscribers are given the flexibility to design their postpaid plans by choosing the best possible mix of voice, SMS and browsing services that they need, change them as often as monthly, and pay a monthly fee that’s within their reach, giving My Super Plan the ultimate edge over other postpaid plans claiming to provide freedom to their subscribers,” Sazon added.
Globe cemented its leadership in the mobile postpaid segment in the second quarter this year with a 28 percent growth in subscriber base from previous year’s levels, bringing its total subscriber base to 1.6 million as of end-June this year.
Postpaid service revenues for the first half of 2012 have increased by 21 percent from last year’s levels, now accounting for 33 percent of total mobile revenues, up from 29 percent in the first half of 2011.